Pneumatic starter for internal-combustion engines.



G. A, GEMMER.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED 315.10, 1914. 1,129,661 Patented F81).23,1915.

B SHEETSSHEET 1 G. A. GEMMER.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.1G,1914.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r wx G. A.'GEMMER.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1914.

1,129,661 Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Geozy at? Gem/7261;

G. A. GEMMER.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 16, 1914.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 4,

fiverz 22/? G. A. GEMMBR.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED EEE 1c, 1914.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

8 $HEETSSHEET 5.

V 1. r//// Rm G. A. GEMMER.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16 10 14.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

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G. A. GEMMER. PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED 313.16, 1914. 1,129,661. Patented Feb; 23, 1915.

8, SHEETSSHBET 7.

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G. A. GEMMER.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES; APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 16, 1914.

1 9 1 2&6 1 a Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

8 SHEETSSHEET 8.

-'bnrfran sraa as ra rnnr GEORGE A. GEMMER, OF DETROIT, MTCHIGAN, ASSIG-NOB. TO GEMMER-DETROIT STARTER ea, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

PNEUMATIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Februarylfi, 1914. Serial No. 818,901.

i To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE A. GEMME a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroi t, in the county of Wayne and State of Mic igan, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in. Pneumatic Starters for Internal-Combustion Engines, ofwhich the following'is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in pneumatically-operated means for starting the internal-combustion engines of automobiles, motor-boats, and the like; and

my primary object is to provide for the mechanism rendered very simple purpose in construction by employing a type of valve peculiarly adapted thereto in serving to cause a supplemental engine to be operated by the internal-combustion engine as a pump for compressing air and storing it, and to cause the stored air to operate the J supplemental engine as a motor for starting the internal-combustion engine.

. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1" is a view in side elevation, partly broken'and sectional, of my improved device; Fig. 2 shows the same by a plan view and Fig. 3 by a view in'end elevation; Fig. 4 is a section valve-operating headed stem';.-Fig. 12 is a v on line 4 of either Fig; 2 or Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 5, of Fig. 1, Fig. 7 or Fig. 8; Fig. 6is an enlarged section on line 60f Fig. 1, Fig. 7 or Fig. 8;Fig. 7 is a 'sRtion on line 7, Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a section on line 8, Fig. 6; Fig. 9-is a broken section on line 9, Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of a rotatable valve, one of these valves being used for 'each cylinder of the device;

Fig. 11 is a broken perspective view of the section on line 12, Fig. 1, Fig; 4 or Fig. 19; Fig. 13 .is'a section taken-on line 13, Fig.3 and enlarged, or on line 13, Fig. 19; Fig.

14 is a broken section on line 14, Fig. 13;

' Fig. 15 is a face viewof the cam-headed member'of a valve-device, and Fig. ,16 is a view of the same in side elevation; Fig. 17 is a face view of the head of the other member of said valve-device and Fig. 18 is a I view of 'th'e same in side elevation;-Fig. 19

is a section on the irre and Fig. 20 is a bro en 'plan view of a clutch-device forreversing the operation of the engine from that of a pump .to'that of a I motor,-or vice versa.

lar line 19, Fig. 13,

lower ends of vertical valve-stems 28 sup-- ported to be rotated axially in their bearings in the cylinder-Walls, and each terminating at its upper end in a key-like-head 29 (Figf 11). On the top of each cylinder is formed an annular flange 30, these flanges being crossed by an air-passage. 31 provided near one end with. a port 31. (Fig. 8). Each flange 30 is formed about a valve-seat containing a port 32 (Fig. 9) leading to the adjacent cylinder and covered by a diskvalve 33 mounted on the seat, against which it is confined to permit it to be turned by a spring-pressed ball 34 hearing centrally against'its upper face, in a plug 35 screwed into the annularfiange. This valve con tains in its under face a recess 33 forming a port having flaring ends and a circular center, at opposite points of which are slots 29 to receivethe' head 29 of a stem28; and

diametrically-opposite ports through the valve.

, ing which embodies the cylinders, to extend across the series of valve-stems 28, and is open .to the atmosphere atone end and closed atitsopposite end, (Fig. 7). In one position of any valve 33, as shown in Fig. 9, it Opens communication betweenthe passage 36 and the cylinder to which it belongs through a chamber 37 about the upperreduced section of the valve-stem above a seating collar 28 thereon, thence through the port 33 in the bottom of the'val've and throu h the port 32; and when, in rotating the va ve, a port 33 therein registers with a port 32, it opens communication through the passage 31 and port 31.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915. a

The casting containing the cylinders has formed on one'end, as an integral part thereof, a sleeve 38 terminating in an enlargement or head 38 and containing a transformed with a disk head 44L Another cast-" versesrecess 38". This head has boltedllto it.

a cap 39' formedwith an approximately-M shaped extension 40 (Fig, 14) containing in 7 its apex a chamber. 40* and having fastened in one leg a pipe 41 leading to a compressed air tank .42 (Fig. 1) and in its other leg a plpe 43 leading to a pressure-gage (not shown). The extension of the cap 39 is ing 45 is formed with .a sleeve-section 45*, a chamberedface 45 coii'peratingwith a similar face opposing it on the disk 44,to

confine, between them, a flexible diaphragm v 46, centrally against the outer surface of which bears a head 47 on a. spring-pressed stem (Fig. 13) working in a lateral socket 48' extending from the sleeve 45 and mounted on the reduced eccentric end 49 of a shaft 49 rotatably supportedin the sleeve.

This diaphragm-including mechanism forms 1 part of the means for producing the automatic operation of my device as hereinafter described.

The cap 39 contains a spring-pressed reciprocating hollow-faced valve 50 seating.

against a nut-confined collar 50? (Fig. 13.), through which works the hollow stem 51 of a disk-shaped valve-head 52 having a transverse groove 53 of'arc-shape in crosssection in its face and containing a port 54;

and the hollow stem 51 containselongated slots-.55 in its outer end and opposite ports 56, adjacent to the head; A disk-head. 57

provided with a convex protuberance forming a cam 58 on its face and fitting in the groove 53 when coincident, therewith, is on one section of a Q contains two similar ports 60. This shaft- 7 section is engaged at/a slot. in its rear end by a tongue on the forward end of its companion shaft-section, the shaft formed of these two sections being rotatably confined in the sleeve 38. and stably uided in its rotation by a collar 61 fitting 1n. the sleeverecess 38 and pinned to the shaft.

On the projecting end of the shaft 59 is secured a crank 62, with which is connected an operating rod 63 working through the inclined foot-board 64- (Fig. 1) of an auto:

p 65 or handle on its outer end.

mobile, or the like (not shown) adjacent to the .drivers seat and provided with a knob ternal-combustion engine is shown herein, (Fig. 20). It carries a gear wheel 67 and a pinion 68. The gear 67 meshes with a pinion 69 loose on' the adjacent end'of'the crank-shaft 21,

Only theshaft. 66 of an another loose pinion on which meshes with the pinion 68-through the medium of 60 faces of the pinions 69 and 70 are members an interposed idler 71. On the opposing of a clutch-device 72, the central shifting member of which, on and turning with the crank-shaft, is surrounded by a collar 73 c0nnectedby-a rod 73 with the crank 59.

shaft 59;,and this head mas er On" an end ofthe shaft 49 is pivoted a cranial-74 havinga stud 7 5'working in-a yoke 76' on the end of .anarm 7 6 pivotally connected with the crank 62. A link 77 conmotor for starting the internal-combustion engine or as a pump for compressing air into the holder 42 foruse in starting the engine. Then the valve 50' is closed. Supposing the internal-combustion engine to be running and the compressed air tank to be empty, the cylinder and piston device is actuated as a pump to compress air mm the I tank; This results from pulling outwardly the rod 63 to the outermost position 'in which the knob 65 is shown by dotted representation. Thus the clutch-member 72 is moved to clutch the engine-shaft 66'throughthe medium of the pinions 68, 71 and 70 to the crankrshaft 21 to rotate the latter to actuate the pistons and rotate the valve,- stems 28. At the same time the withdrawal of the rod 63 turns the crank- 62, with the, I

effect of turningthe shaft 59 sufliciently to cause, by the engagement of the ca 58 with the head 52, the hollow stem 51 o be advanced against the valve 50 and force the latterfrom its'seat against the resistance or .the spring behind it. This action opens communication between the cylinders and the tank' 42 to cause the pistons, in being driven by the engine-shaft 66,- to operateas a pump, while the crank-shaft is continw action of the cylinders is exerted through I ously rotating the valves 33. The suctionthe passage 36, chambers 37, valveorts 33 and po'rts-32-into the upper ends 0 the cylinders. It should be understood, in this connection, that the rotation of each valv 33 issojtiined relatively to the downstroke the va veorb-.33 to connect; an adjacent chamber and port 32 when the piston is at the upper end of its upstroke, and a port 33 to register. with aport 32 when the reof, the iston to which it relates, as tocause s ective piston is at'the lower end hf its e to compress the airby its upstroke. Airthus suckedinto each cylinder is compressed by the upstroke of its piston through a port 32,. am-pert. 33*, passage ownstr 31", port "31, a port 60 in the'head 57 then with a port 54,1n .the head 52,

registering thence into the chamber 56 ,;fthr'ough the holes 56' in the hollow 5l andthe 'slotsa motor for starting the engine, the rod 63 i is pressed inwardly to bring the knob 65 to the innermost dotted position represented v in Fig. 1,;whereby the rod 73 ships the clutch to gear the crank-shaft'to the engine.- shaft 66. This setting ofthe rod-63 opens the tank 42 through the chamber 40*, past the valve 50, through the stem-slo'ts55, hollow stem 51 and holes 56 into the cha mber 56 in head 38?, thence through the hole .54 in head 52, a hole 60 in head 57 then registering therewith, ports 31 and the passage 7 31 through the'valve-ports 33" and ports 32 I inthisconnection, timing of the parts referred to is'such as to open a port 33 in the rotation of each valve 33 by the crankshaft the respective cylinder when the piston therein is at the upper end of its upstroke,

and to register a recess 33 in a valvewith 'anadjacent-port 32 when the piston is-at "the lower end of its downstroke, thus to' cause its upstroke to exhaust the pressure through the pipe 36 from a port 32 through the valve-recess 33. and chamber. 37 the.

' "rotation of the valves 33 being produced by the gear-connections 27,- 26, 23 and 22 ,of

theirstems with the crank-shaft. -T

35 valve in the sleeve 38 serves to prevent leakage from the chamber 56 along'jthe shaft 59.

When the tank42 contains compressed air, its pressure is 1 exerted: ,1 adequate head 47 (Fig. 13) mounted on theec'centric end 6: the shaft 49. Thisis the condition of the parts when the internalvcombustion engine is running and out of clutch-with thev crank-shaft 21. Should the pressure fall iii the tank, due to. leakage or exhaustion, 50 below that of the spring-pressure against the diaphragm, the spring will act to turn the shaft 49, therebyturning the crank 77' again%( the resistance of the spring- 79. When the crank reaches the end of the i 5 slot 76 (Fig. 1) the spring-connection 77 with the crank has passed the dead-center and 'the'recoil of the spring, in further turning thatcrank, causes itsgconnection with the latter to correspondingly turn thecrank 6 62, with the eflectof actuating the rod 73 I to clutch the engine-shaft to the crank-shaft and work the pistons in the cylinders as a a pump. The further efiect of thus turning the crank 62 is to actuatetheshaft 59 to i 6 unseat the valve- 50 in the way already deinto the cylinders. As will be understood:

force against the inner fac'e. 'o'fthe diascribed, with resultant opening of communication between the outer air, through the passage 36, and the tank 42; When the airpressure thus automatically introduced into the tankattains the predetermined degree, to prevent excess thereof,.-which might burst the tank,the pressure against the diaphragm from the chamber -40 .turns the. shaft 49, thereby overcoming the spring-resistance I againstthe head 47 and turning the crank 75. {Min the opposite direction until its pin reaches the inner end of the slot 7 6', when the spring 79 will act to. snap that crank back tonormal position, and thearm 76 will actuate'the crank 62 to its normal position, thereby unclutching the crank-shaft from the shaft 66 and turning the shaft 59 in the direction to permit re-seating of-thevalve-50.

I realize that considerable variation. is

possible-in the details of construction thus 35:

"specifically shown and-described, and I do 'convertible pump. and motor device comanunicating with said tank and the outer air and'provided with means for connecting it I withand,disconnecting it from the engine- -shaft,-a spring-seated valve normally closing the communication, coiiperating valvemembersand a rotary shaft carrying one of saidmembe'rs operated by turning the shaft to open thespring-closed valve, an operating rod Jconnectedwith. said. shaft for turning it, ;.and a valve in the communication connected "with said device to be moved thereby.- and containing ports connecting, in

.tha'rnovement of thevalve said device alternately with the outer air and said tank.

,2, In a pneumatic starter for an internalcombustion engine, having an air-pressure st0rage-tank,*a convertible pump and motor device communicating with said tank and the air. and provided with "means for connecting it with and disconnecting it from the engine-shaft, and a valve in the ,com-' munication connected with said device to be moved thereby and containing-ports our meeting; in the movement of the valve, said device alternately with the outer air and said tank, aheadedsleeve in said communication, a springseated'valve in the head, a valve-member reciprocably confined in the head and having a recessed head and a hol- I storage-tank, a convertible pump and motor device communicating with said tank and 10 theouter air and provided with means for connecting it with and disconnecting it from the engine-shaft, and a valve in the communication connected with said device to be movedthereby and containing ports connecting, in the movement of the valve, said device alternately with the outer air and said tank, a headed sleeve in said communication, a spring-seated valve in the head, a

valve-member reciprocably confined in the head and having a recessed head and a hollow port-containing stem to bear against thespring-pressed valve, a rotary shaft in the sleeve having a cam-faced valve-member loosely connected with its inner end to seat against the rear wall of the head and cooperate with said recessed head to actuate said first-named valve-member, and an operating rod having a crank-connection with said shaft for turning it, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a pneumatic starter for an internal combustion engine, the combination with an air-pressure storage-tank, of a convertible pump and motor comprising a plurality of piston-containing cylinders intercommunicating through a port-containing passage through which they communicate with saidtank, and a crank-shaft for the pistons, provided with means for connecting it with and disconnecting it from the engineshaft, a passage open to the outer air communicating through ports with the cylinders," rotary valvesv mounted between said passages on stems geared to the crank-shaft, each valve containing ports connecting, in its rotation, a cylinder alternately with said. outer-air passage and said other assage, a springpressed valve normally'c osing communica tion between said tank and said last-named passage, and an operating rod having con nections with saidspring-pressed valve for unseating it and with said means for connecting the crank-shaft ,with and -d1sconnecting it from the engine-shaft. Y

5. In a pneumatic starter for an internalcombustion engine, the combination with an air-pressure storage-tank, of a convertible a cylinder alternately with said outer-air" passage and said other passage,ia sleeve having a hollow cap-covered head with which .the storage-tank is connected, a spring-seated valve in the cap, a rotary shaft in the sleeve and means therein operated'by turnin the shaft to open the spring-seated va ve, a crank on said shaft, an 'operating rod connected with said crank, a clutch-device for connecting and disconnecting the crank-shaft and engine-shaft, and a rod connecting said crank with said device for shipping and unshipping the clutch by the operating rod.

6. In a pneumatic starter for an internalcombustion engine, the combmatlon of an air-pressure storage tank, a valved convertible pum and motor communicatingwith said tank and the outer air'and provided with means for connecting it with and'disconnecting it from the engine-shaft, a sleeve in the communication to which said tank is connected and'containing a rotaryshaft and valve-mechanism operated by the sleeve to open and close said communication, a crank on-the sleeve connected with said connecting and disconnecting means and havmg an operating rod connected with it, a flexible diaphragm having one surface open to'said tank, a second sleeve containing a rotary shaft having mounted eccentrically thereon a spring-pressed head bearing against the opposite diaphragm-surface, a spring-- thrown crank on the last-named shaft, and

an arm provided with a loop and connecting the two cranks, for the In testimony whereof my hand this 31st day of January, 191d.

GEORGE A. GEE/HER. presence of two subscribing witnesses- A..- G. Frscm,

F. A. Fnonmm.

pIurpose set forth.

have hereunto set 

